Canada Is Now Officially Open To International Travelers

For the first time in almost a year and a half, Canada will be opening for international travelers again starting this Tuesday, September 7th.

Canada Opening For International Travelers On September 7th

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) confirmed on Friday that travelers would be welcome on September 7th, the date that the federal government originally set to reopen.

It’s a significant move for Canada, as the country has had strict travel restrictions in place since the pandemic began, banning most non-essential foreign travelers from entering Canada.

The rules started to relax this summer, first with vaccinated Canadians being able to come back without a quarantine and then reopening to vaccinated American travelers last month.

Despite Canada opening to U.S. travelers, it’s drawn few Americans partly due to the land border still being closed.

What Are The Entry Requirements For Canada?

Foreign travelers will have to meet a set of requirements to enter Canada and skip quarantine, including a vaccination certificate, a negative Covid-19 test taken with 72 hours, and all information submitted into the ArriveCAN app.

Travelers must have received the full series of a vaccine – or combination of vaccines – accepted by the Government of Canada at least 14 days before entering.

Currently, those vaccines are manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD, and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson).

In addition to the vaccine, all travelers 5 years of age or older, regardless of citizenship, must provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test result to enter Canada. Antigen tests are not accepted. The test must be taken 72 hours before the scheduled departure time of your flight.

Travelers must use the ArriveCAN app to enter proof of vaccination, quarantine, and travel information.

Upon entry into Canada, the border services officer may notify you that you have been selected for a randomized arrival test.

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa said that testing arriving travelers is just one of the protective measures Canada has put in place at its borders.

“With all these layers at play, this is why the continuation of the planned easing is taking place,” she said. “Should there be any signals of an increase [in the] positivity rate, we can take further measures.”

According to the CBSA, the Covid-19 test positivity rate for travelers has remained low.

Between Aug. 9 and Aug. 26, 0.19 percent of fully vaccinated travelers tested positive after being randomly selected to take a COVID-19 test.

“Vaccinated travellers … represent a much, much lesser risk of carrying and importing cases of COVID into the country [than unvaccinated travellers], and the data demonstrates that,” said Denis Vinette, vice-president of the CBSA’s COVID-19 border task force.

Travelers May Need To Show Proof Of Vaccination While In The Country

Depending on what part of Canada you are visiting, travelers may need to show proof of vaccination to gain entry to many non-essential locations and activities.

Quebec was the first province to implement vaccine passports, followed by British Colombia. Ontario is also planning to implement a vaccine program soon.

Additionally, Canada has said that starting soon, all passengers on air carriers, trains, and cruise ships will need to show proof of vaccination to board.